Pomona Pectin

[Cedar]

I believe it is somewhat related to a pear, which is why many pears are usually grafted onto quince stock.

Cedar

[PorcupineKate]

I know a couple of people who have grafted pear on to quince.  They do it to create a latter pear flower bloom.  This way they can still have pears if we get a late frost here in Northern New England.

[Morning Sunshine]

well, it looks like I bought 1/2 pound in 2007... it lasted through the 2009 season
According to the above comment, I bought another pound in 2009.  It is almost gone.  I probably have enough left to do a few batches, but why wait until I am out.  So, a pound lasted me 4 years.
So, I think I will get a 2# bag this time around - I foresee that my canning will increase exponentially in the next few years as my oldest of FIVE children turns 12 soon.....

[Morning Sunshine]

bumping cuz I am making jam and syrup today.  And I had to find this thread to remember how to do the syrup....

[archer]

cool. i found a recipe for using pomona pectin to make fireweed jelly. i'm letting all the fireweed grow so i can cut their heads/flowers off...

[LvsChant]

I'm reading a book on my kindle that I got from the library... has lots of cool recipes to use with Pomona pectin... some unusual flavor combinations, plus lots of tips on how to use the Pomona pectin. LC



Jam On: The Craft of Canning Fruit

[AvenueQ]

I'm reading a book on my kindle that I got from the library... has lots of cool recipes to use with Pomona pectin... some unusual flavor combinations, plus lots of tips on how to use the Pomona pectin. LC



Jam On: The Craft of Canning Fruit

I put in a request for it from my library. Sounds like a great book!

[AvenueQ]

Aaand I just found out that the watermelon jelly I made didn't jell properly Which is weird because the residue in the pot had started to jell when I was cleaning it. The peach jam seems to be okay.

[Morning Sunshine]

bump. 

[AvenueQ]

Woo, zombie thread!

I still use Pomona's, even though my first few attempts didn't jell properly. I just really like being able to adjust the amount of sugar in the batch (or use honey instead if I want to). This past summer I made a batch of blueberry rhubarb jam that turned out awesome!

[LvsChant]

Thanks, MS! This is truly a great thread...

[Stwood]

First I've heard of this....

[Morning Sunshine]

my cooked jams and syrups jell up nicely.  I gave some pectin to a friend - she only makes freezer jams and she said she didn't like like it and wouldn't use it again; it doesn't jell in the freezer.  YMMV

also, I used the recipe for pie apples on the website - love them.  just LOVE them.  https://pomonapectin.com/recipes/apple-pie-filling-for-canning/ (confession - I do quart jars 

edit - we made huckleberry jam one year at my cousin's with the pectin, and my cousin's kids refused to eat the jam we had made - it wasn't sweet enough for their taste.  My kids hate the store stuff cuz all they can taste is sugar.

[Morning Sunshine]

I have been making syrups with my berries this summer.  I have used the pamona pectin at 1/4 the recommended amounts for jam.  I tried 1/2, but it was too thick and didn't really thin out when warm.  So, 1/4 the amount it is.  so if the Strawberry jam recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of pectin, use 1/2 teaspoon for syrup, and everything else the same.

We have made and enjoyed strawberry, blackberry, and blueberry syrups.  I am planning raspberry and peach as well before the end of the season.

on the website, it says 1/4 the amount of pectin for syrup, but keep the full amount of calcium water.

[Stwood]

I did a little searching and what caught my eye was the way lessor amount used.
Higher in price, but may be a wash. And it apparently stays good for much longer.

[Morning Sunshine]

I did a little searching and what caught my eye was the way lessor amount used.
Higher in price, but may be a wash. And it apparently stays good for much longer.

I had a chart somewhere of cost breakdown.  Let me see if I can find it.  Basically, the pectin itself was equal in price but a jar of jam was more expensive because sugar costs less than fruit.  And pomona jam has less sugar and more fruit.

edit - I found the thread where I first posted my pomona experience - http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=7860.msg85854#msg85854

[Morning Sunshine]

from August 15, 2009, 12:52:56 PM »

sorry about the link... I was in a hurry.
Archer, I do not know if it is cheaper per batch of jam than the boxed stuff, which you can sometimes get REALLY cheap indeed at end-of-the-season time.  Let me say what I like about it:
it lasts a long time.
I can adjust the recipe to account for the amount of berries I have (this is the best feature, IMHO)
I do not have to use 8 c of sugar to 6 c of fruit
      low-sugar jams taste more like the fruit, and less like sugar
          they do mold easier once the jar is open, so I do mine in half-pint jars, we just open them more often
          they also discolor - if you are used to bright red strawberry jam, well, low-sugar jam turns kind of brownish.  tastes yummy - like strawberries - but off-color
      with pamona you can use other sweeteners - I did some strawberry with honey.  Won't do it again - the honey is too strong of a flavor for berries, but it is possible, which is nice to know if SHTF!
         when we were doing huckleberries a few weeks ago, my mom was using splenda in her jam, and it was the same pectin I was using with the sugar, and I had used with the honey - so I do not need to buy lots of different formulations for the various sweeteners

and frankly, it may be a while before I am able to get around to making my own pectin.  with 4 small children, I need to be honest with myself.  there are other priorities 

[Morning Sunshine]

from August 19, 2009, 01:14:12 PM

okay, I am almost out of my pomona, so I went to the website to order some more. 
1lb = $48  I just about died.  I do not remember it being so much!
but, 1lb = 16oz
the box of ball pectin from the store was 1.75 oz for $2.50, or $22.86 per pound.
BUT that is 2.50 per batch.
I measured 2 t of pomona (use for 4 c, average, of fruit + 2 c sugar = 5-6 half-pints of jam; jelly takes twice the pectin, so 4 t for the 4 c fruit and 2 c sugar; I do not remember the numbers for freezer jam) and it didn't even register on my ounce scale; switched it to grams, and it was 6 g.
so..... 453.6 g in 1 pound; 75.6 batches of jam in a pound of pomona pectin, so about $.64 per batch of jam.

okay, so that was too confusing for me.... I made a spreadsheet
                         fruit        pectin      lemon juice   sugar          yield (cups)
strawberry jam     4 c         6 g                               2 c              5
strawberry jam     5 c        49 g          ¼ c               7 c              8
               
currant jelly          4 c        12 g                              2 c              5
currant jelly         6.5 c       49 g                              7 c            10
     
pectin type        g/package      $/package       $/batch jam             $/batch jelly               $/ jar jam             $/ jar jelly   
pomona pectin   453.6 g         $48.00           .64/batch jam       1.27/batch jelly            .13/ jar jam           .25/ jar jelly
Ball pectin            49 g            $2.50          2.50/batch jam       2.50/batch jelly            .31/ jar jam            .25/ jar jelly


so, make your own conclusions.  dh, when he saw the chart, said "well, this tells us that sugar is cheaper than real food!"
my thoughts are, well, pomona is not MORE expensive, and as far as jam goes, it is cheaper.... so I am going to go with it.  and, there is a note on here that says "keeps indefinitely" so I figure it is a good investment of my money.

[Stwood]

  Much thanks for that info. I'll print it out.
Steve

[LvsChant]

Great analysis, MS!!! +1

[Stwood]

Copied and saved. Thanks